Vigilance is essential when protecting yourself from scammers, Julie Casson, community digital navigator at Coastal Maine Regional Broadband, and Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Doug Snyder told attendees Feb. 17 at Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library (BHML). The pair presented tips and tricks on how to identify and prevent fraud.  

According to the presentation, people over the age of 50 are more likely to be scammed. In 2025, over $11 million in fraud was reported during a nine-month period for those over 50. This number is likely much higher as it only accounts for reported fraud, Casson said.  

Most fraud cases are “imposter scams,” where the scammer pretends to be someone else to solicit information either through online messages (email, ad pop-ups, social media), text, or phone calls. Common hallmarks include being contacted out of the blue, a sense of urgency to the message, and being told not to tell anyone about the exchange.  

“What they're trying to do is get you into this heightened state where you're so emotional it's hard to make a rational decision,” explained Casson.  

The pair has also seen cases where a scammer will build a relationship over time, so they can eventually lure people into a scam. 

Casson and Snyder recommend looking out for sudden pop-ups (these can be ads or viruses), language errors, or email addresses that don’t match who the person is claiming to be. However, email addresses and caller IDs can be cloned, so if unsure, don’t respond to the message. Contact that person directly to confirm it's them reaching out. Be wary of messages asking for passwords or other private information. Don’t click links or open attachments.  

These rules are true for social media, such as Facebook, as people’s accounts can be hacked; don’t accept second friend requests from people you are already friends with, as that can give scammers access to your friend lists, they said.  

“If you do get scammed, you did nothing wrong. These scammers are very sophisticated people,” said Casson. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has also made scams more believable. AI can use voice cloning to make the scammer sound like a loved one, or scrape information from social media to make claims sound credible. One way to combat this is to have an innocuous code word between family that wouldn’t be information found online. Some banks have also begun implementing additional passwords with customers for this reason.  

“We have to be advocates, not just for ourselves, but for our friends and loved ones. If someone questions you, they're doing it for a good reason,” said Casson.  

Some scams target seniors and veterans, usually involving benefits, charity scams, Medicare, Social Security and similar matters. There has been a rise in property scams where people’s houses are sold out from under them due to a fraudulent deed change. Casson suggests signing up online with the county’s Registry of Deeds, so you will be alerted if a deed is changed.  

Another red flag is the payment method. Scammers want something untraceable and unrecoverable, so they prefer cryptocurrency (Bitcoin), peer-to-peer payments (Zelle, Cashapp, PayPal, Venmo), wire transfers, gift cards, or gold. There are two Bitcoin ATMs in Boothbay: one at Hannaford and another at Walgreens. These machines are non-withdrawing, so as soon as cash is put into a scammer’s account, it’s gone.  

"When someone gets scammed out of money in a bank account, it's easy for me to get subpoena records and follow that trail ... when it comes to the Bitcoin side of it ... it goes overseas, and then I can't find it. It goes into the dark web, and then I can't find it. It's very hard to trace all that stuff; that's why they use it,” said Snyder. 

If you get scammed or identify a scam, report it to Boothbay Harbor Police Department: (207) 633 5616; or Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office: (207) 882-7332. BHML Technology Manager Bethany Schmidt can assist with any tech questions.